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Nova Scotia Class 7 overview

Nova Scotia Class 7: Night driving and bad weather

Headlight timing and dimming distances, glare, rain, fog and snow, hydroplaning, wet brakes, ice and black ice stopping distances, gravel roads, four-wheel drive and winter driving.

  • 16 questions
  • Topic drill
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Night driving and bad weather · Question 1Score 0/0

How much should you reduce your speed on packed snow?

Study reference: Nova Scotia Driver's Handbook (2017 revision), Ch. 5 Adverse Driving Conditions — Reduced visibility, Changes to the road's surface

All 16 questions in this test

Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.

  1. How much should you reduce your speed on packed snow?

    1. By more than half
    2. By about 10 km/h
    3. By about a quarter
    4. Not at all with winter tires

  2. Stopping distance on slippery pavement can be how much longer than on dry pavement?

    1. Twenty times longer
    2. About the same
    3. Up to twice as long
    4. Two to ten times longer

  3. At about what speed can a standard car's tires ride completely on top of water?

    1. About 85 km/h
    2. About 120 km/h
    3. About 55 km/h
    4. About 40 km/h

  4. Which headlights should you use when driving at night in a city?

    1. High beams
    2. Fog lights only
    3. Low beams
    4. Parking lights

  5. Why should you use low beams instead of high beams in fog or snow?

    1. High beams drain the battery
    2. High beams reflect off the precipitation
    3. Low beams reach farther ahead
    4. High beams are illegal from December to March

  6. You are driving at night with high beams on. Within what distance of an oncoming vehicle must you dim them?

    1. 300 metres
    2. 100 metres
    3. 60 metres
    4. 150 metres

  7. From 30 km/h, about how far does a car need to stop on black ice?

    1. About 100 metres
    2. About 52 metres
    3. About 6 metres
    4. About 22 metres

  8. At which temperature are icy road surfaces far more slippery?

    1. Below -30°C
    2. Near 0°C
    3. Around -10°C
    4. Around -20°C

  9. How much following distance should you leave when driving in the rain?

    1. Three seconds
    2. Two seconds
    3. One car length per 10 km/h
    4. Four seconds or more

  10. When are roads most dangerous after rain starts to fall?

    1. Only after the rain stops
    2. During the first 10 to 15 minutes
    3. After an hour of steady rain
    4. When puddles start to form

  11. How does four-wheel drive affect stopping on a slippery road?

    1. It does not help you stop any sooner
    2. It halves your stopping distance
    3. It prevents all skids
    4. It works like anti-lock brakes

  12. An oncoming driver at night does not dim their high beams. What should you do?

    1. Look straight at their headlights
    2. Flash your high beams at them until they dim theirs
    3. Keep your low beams on and look slightly right
    4. Switch to high beams too

  13. Fog becomes so thick you can hardly see. After pulling well off the road and turning on your flashers, what should you do?

    1. Stand behind the car to warn traffic
    2. Stay in the car with the engine running and doors locked
    3. Walk along the road for help
    4. Leave by the passenger side and stay off the road

  14. Which parts of the road freeze first in cold weather?

    1. Roads near the ocean
    2. Uphill sections of road
    3. Sunny, open stretches of flat highway
    4. Bridges, overpasses and shaded areas

  15. You drive into an underground parking garage on a bright sunny day. What does the handbook advise?

    1. Slow down, remove sunglasses, turn on headlights
    2. Switch on your four-way flashers
    3. Keep your sunglasses on until you are fully parked
    4. Speed up to get out of the glare

  16. You are following another car at night. Within what distance must you switch to low beams?

    1. 200 metres
    2. 30 metres
    3. 60 metres
    4. 150 metres

Night driving and bad weather: key rules to remember

Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗

Adverse driving conditions

  • Nova Scotia's coastal weather is harsh and changeable; fog, rain, snow and floods reduce visibility and wet brakes increase stopping distance.
  • Anticipate (check the forecast; consider not driving) and be ready to respond.

Nighttime driving

  • Night is more dangerous: you see less, more impaired drivers, more fatigue, glare from oncoming headlights.
  • Headlights from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise, and any time you can't see at least 300 m ahead.
  • In a city at night use low beams. On the open road use high beams unless approaching or following another vehicle.
  • By law dim headlights within 150 m of an oncoming vehicle and within 60 m when following a vehicle.

Glare, rain, snow and fog

  • If an oncoming driver doesn't dim, keep your low beams on. Look slightly to the right, using the road edge as a guide.
  • Sun glare: use visor and sunglasses; if still blinded, stop well off the road until safe.
  • Entering a tunnel or underground garage on a bright day: slow down, remove sunglasses, turn on headlights.
  • Rain, snow, fog: slow gradually, avoid sudden stops, increase following distance, low beams only (high beams reflect off precipitation). Don't drive on parking lights.

Extreme low visibility

  • If you can barely see: pull as far off the road as possible, stop, secure the vehicle, turn on emergency flashers, leave by the passenger side and stay away from the road.

Rain

  • Drive slower; low beams and wipers; increase following distance to four seconds or more.
  • Stopping on slippery pavement is 2 to 10 times farther than on dry.
  • Roads are most dangerous for the first 10 to 15 minutes of rain (oil and residue mix with water).
  • Hydroplaning: partial from about 55 km/h in a standard car; at about 85 km/h tires may ride fully on water with no braking, steering or acceleration grip. Reduce speed on wet roads.
  • Wet brakes are less effective: test them; if weak, press the brake lightly with the left foot while keeping light gas pressure until they work normally.

Snow, frost and ice

  • Black ice is a thin layer of ice on the road surface.
  • Stopping from 30 km/h: about 6 m on dry pavement, 22 m on packed snow, 52 m on black ice.
  • Shaded areas, bridges and overpasses freeze first and thaw last.
  • In a snowstorm: reduce speed, wipers, defroster, low beams. Reduce speed by more than half on packed snow and crawl on ice. Chains or studded tires may improve traction.
  • Gravel/dirt roads greatly increase stopping distance.

Four-wheel drive, slippery surfaces, winter rules

  • Four-wheel drive does not let you stop any faster on slippery roads and can give a false sense of security.
  • Gentle, slight movements of brake, gas and wheel.
  • Roads are most slippery in the first 10 minutes of a storm.
  • Test traction by braking lightly when safe; if a wheel locks, release at once.
  • Road surfaces are far more slippery near 0°C than at -10 or -20°C. Early-morning frost is a fall and spring problem.
  • Stopping on ice: keep the clutch engaged and apply gradual pressure without locking wheels. Studded tires shorten stopping on ice.
  • Winter rules: drive defensively, adjust speed, leave time and space, keep windows clear, keep lights, wipers and defrosters working, test brakes, use snow tires, chains or studs.

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